


Fallen for You

by BeneaththeHalo



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hospital, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, M/M, Nurse!Elena
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-11
Updated: 2014-07-11
Packaged: 2018-02-08 10:25:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1937319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeneaththeHalo/pseuds/BeneaththeHalo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Mithian's father suffers a heart attack, she races to be by his side. At the hospital she meets a rather pretty yet clumsy nurse, who may yet have the most beautiful smile Mithian has ever seen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fallen for You

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Tumblr's Merlin Ships Fest Modern AU prompt.
> 
>  
> 
> Literally my first attempt at a Merlin fic that either isn't based on canon or is Merthur, so... yeah. Not that sure about it, it kinda got away from me. But I hope you enjoy anyway!

Mithian still remembered when she’d first gotten that phone call. How her hand had clenched around the phone so tightly she thought she might crush it. How her skin had turned to ice. How her heart had stopped beating, rather like her father’s must have done.

She’d been at work at the time, as a journalist, when her personal phone had gone off. Everyone she knew, everyone she was close to, either knew she was at work or worked _with_ her. She’d stared at the number, but it hadn’t been one she recognised. Confused, and slightly irritated, she’d answered her phone.

And that was when her whole world stopped.

She’d been speechless as the person on the other end of the phone had explained how her father had had a serious heart attack, and that while he was alive his condition was very serious, and that she might want to come sit by his side just in case. Mithian had been silent, though, to the point where her caller had asked whether she was still there.

“Yes, I’m here,” Mithian had said distractedly, even though her mind and heart definitely were not. “Sorry, I’m just- I saw him yesterday. We had lunch, together. He was _fine_.”

“Sometimes there can be no signs, until a heart attack actually happens. We can only consider ourselves lucky that your father was with other people, and that they were able to get him straight to hospital.”

“I… where exactly is he?”

The person on the other end of the phone had given Mithian her father’s room number before hanging up. Mithian had stared at the phone for several long minutes, silent and unmoving, still in disbelief at what she had just been told.

“Mithian? Mith, are you okay?”

Mithian had blinked rapidly, pulling herself back to the here and now, to find Merlin watching her from his desk. “My father’s had a heart attack,” she’d said, still sounding disbelieving, still praying that she was dreaming and would wake up in her bed with her father safe and sound in the next room.

“Oh, Mith…” Merlin had said. “What do you need? Do you need to go be with him?”

“Yeah, I do, but my deadline is tomorrow, and-”

“ _Mithian_ ,” said Merlin forcefully, so much so that Mithian had jumped in her chair. “Morgana will understand. Sure, she doesn’t get along with her _own_ father very well, but she knows you do. We’ll figure something out.”

Mithian had hesitated for the briefest of moments before leaping from her chair, grabbing her bag and pressing a quick kiss to Merlin’s cheek. “Thanks, Merlin!” she’d said, racing from her room.

And that’s why Mithian had found herself walking quickly down the halls of Camelot Memorial Hospital, searching frantically for room 213. Finally she found it, and cautiously peered into the room to find her father lying in a bed, unconscious but alive, with a blonde woman examining the machines beside him.

“Excuse me?” said Mithian, in as strong a voice as she could manage. She didn’t know what she was expecting the woman’s response to be; silence, perhaps, or asking Mithian who she was. She most definitely _wasn’t_ expecting the woman to jump, stumbling backwards away from the bed and tripping over a chair.

“Oh, my god, I’m so sorry!” said the woman, scrambling to her feet and smoothing out her clothes. Now that Mithian had a chance to have a proper look, she realised the woman was wearing quite professional and clean (well, _formally_ clean) clothing. She had to work at the hospital in some capacity. “You must be Mithian, Mr. Nemeth’s daughter.”

Mithian raised an eyebrow, studying the woman with confusion. “Oh, the woman at the nurse’s station- Finna, the one who called you- she told me you were coming.”

“Yes, of course,” said Mithian absently. She glanced over at her father, who appeared to be sleeping peacefully. “How is he?”

“He’s stable, for now,” said the young woman. “It will still be touch and go for a while, though. You and he are close?”

Mithian looked back at the woman. Normally, Mithian was quite a private woman. She told people things when she needed to, and she would trust her dearest friends with her darkest of secrets. This woman was a complete _stranger_ though, someone Mithian would keep herself closed off from. And yet, Mithian found herself compelled to answer. “We are. I have no siblings, and my mother died years ago.”

“That sounds like me and my father,” the woman admitted. “I don’t have any siblings, and my mother’s dead, too.”

“Elena!” said a voice from the doorway. The woman- who must’ve been Elena- jumped again, but luckily she managed not to trip over anything this time. A kindly older woman stood there, one that Mithian guessed to be Finna. “Gaius is waiting for you.”

“Oh, of course he is,” said Elena. “I do need to finish my rounds. Nurses do have many patients, after all. It was nice to meet you, Mithian.”

Mithian found herself smiling, despite everything. “You too, Elena. I mean, even though my father is, well… we don’t even know. You too.”

Elena smiled, before following Finna from the room.

Mithian quickly settled into the chair beside her father’s bed, folding her hands delicately in her lap. She didn’t know what else to do. Her eyes were fixed on her father, and the steady rise and fall of his chest.

“Father…” Mithian whispered. In all her life, with everything that had happened to her- the loss of her mother, her father being held to ransom by a bitter rival, and an almost marriage- she’d somehow never expected this. Her father had always seemed invincible, infallible, and impossible to strike down. She couldn’t even remember the last time he had been _sick_. It was just like him, though. Nothing bad happened to him for ages, and then when it did it was the most terrible of things.

_He’s stable,_ Mithian told herself. _He’s still alive. He hasn’t gone anywhere yet_. Even though, Mithian reached out, taking her father’s hand in her smaller one and squeezing it tightly. “Please don’t leave me. Please don’t leave me, father. You’re all I have.”

When Mithian spoke, she heard a strange shuffling noise at the door and whipped around. All she saw though was a flurry of pink as someone disappeared. She had no idea who it was, but Mithian knew who she _hoped_ it was.

Mithian awoke to the sound of someone knocking on the doorframe. She woke up, dazed and confused, and with no idea of where she was. When she saw a shock of wild blonde hair, and a kind yet concerned face, she remembered. She was at the hospital. Her father had had a severe heart attack. And the most beautiful nurse she’d ever seen was standing in the doorway.

“Technically visiting hours are over,” Elena said. “But apparently one of the doctors here knows exactly how close you are to your father, and like other situations like this, they said you can stay overnight in case he dies.” Noticing Mithian’s horrified face, Elena bit her lip, shifting the bag she held from one hand to the other. “Not that he’s _going_ to die. Obviously I don’t mean that. It’s just that that’s one of the only situations where we allow relatives to stay overnight, so…”

“It’s okay,” Mithian said. “I understand. Which doctor knows who I am?”

“Gwaine,” Elena replied. “Says you met through mutual friends?”

“Gwaine!” Mithian exclaimed delightedly. “I didn’t know he worked here! Yes, I know him through Merlin, one of my coworkers who is also a really good friend of mine, and Arthur, who is also a friend but is the brother of my boss, Morgana.”

“Wait. Arthur and Morgana? You know the Pendragon siblings?” said Elena.

“Arthur is a very good friend of mine,” Mithian admitted. “That’s how I got the job under Morgana and with Merlin.” Mithian caught herself then, worried she had said too much. She may have been a kind and warm person, but she was still very private, and didn’t tell many people anything. But something was different about Elena. Something about the nurse made Mithian want to tell her _everything_.

“I know Arthur too,” Elena said. “His father and mine are great friends- they grew up together- but they were also business rivals. So to try and join their business, they tried to force Arthur and I to marry.”

Mithian had to struggle to keep her mouth from falling open. “Really? I didn’t know that type of thing happened in this day and age.”

“Mmm. We nearly went through with it, too. But Arthur realised he loved another, and he couldn’t do it.”

“Merlin?” Mithian guessed. Elena just stared at her, surprised. “Merlin has a photo of him and Arthur sitting on his desk at work. And he won’t stop _talking_ about Arthur either, even if it’s to say how much Arthur _annoys_ him.” Mithian giggled, before covering up her mouth with both hands. How could she _laugh_ at a time like this?

“It’s okay,” said Elena. “Sometimes you just _need_ to laugh. And who knows? Maybe your father will hear you laughing and wake up.”

“Can that happen?” Mithian asked sceptically.

“It has before.”

Mithian swallowed, the mood instantly more sombre, before turning to look at her father. Still, he hadn’t woken, and now Mithian was beginning to panic. “What if he never wakes up?” Mithian whispered, so quietly she didn’t think Elena would hear her.

Apparently, she was wrong. “The first night is always the worst,” Elena said. “He very likely won’t wake up tonight, but if he gets through tonight, his chances are so much better. I can’t make any promises, though.” As if suddenly remembering the bag she held in her hand, Elena held it up. “I thought you might be hungry. You haven’t eaten anything since you got here…” Mithian said nothing, just stared at the bag, and Elena winced. “I’ve been too forward, haven’t I? Said and done something I shouldn’t have. I’m sorry, I do that a lot.”

“No, no,” said Mithian quickly. “I just… I just didn’t expect this. Didn’t expect this level of kindness.”

“It’s my job,” said Elena simply.

“No, I meant that… you’ve gone above what any other nurse would do. I’m pretty sure most nurses wouldn’t bring _food_ to their patient’s daughter,” Mithian pointed out.

“It’s just cafeteria food,” said Elena. “And, well, I like you.” Elena looked away, clearly certain she’d overstepped the mark. When she looked away from Mithian, though, she failed to see the young woman smile.

“Nonsense,” said Mithian, trying to make the air feel light again. “ _Any_ food is good enough right now.” Elena beamed at her, moving further into the room to hand the bag to Mithian. She failed to watch her feet, however, and managed to trip over them and fall right into Mithian’s lap.

Mithian was frozen where she was. She knew she should ask Elena whether she was okay. Really, she did. But Mithian was acutely aware that Elena was _sitting in her lap_ , and she couldn’t help think that her weight felt very comfortable and very _right_.

Elena was the first to move. “I am _so_ sorry, Mithian, really, I-”

“It’s okay,” said Mithian, completely flustered. “It was completely accidental, no problem at all.” Elena still didn’t move though, remaining where she was in Mithian’s lap. It was almost like she was paralysed- but whether by fear or being flustered or genuinely _wanting_ to stay there, Mithian couldn’t tell. She knew which one she wanted it to be, though.

“Um, what food did you bring?” Mithian asked.

“Oh, right!” Elena finally leapt to her feet, leaving Mithian feeling strangely sad at the loss of the woman on her lap. “It’s just pastries, unfortunately, and they’re not warm, but they’re the best I could do considering it’s hospital food.”

“Honestly, Elena, I don’t think I’d even notice what I’m eating right now,” said Mithian, taking the bag from Elena and pulling out one of the pastries with a grateful sigh. “Say, I think there’s enough here for both of us. Do you want to join me?”

“Really? I mean, I don’t want to pressure you or anything, and you probably want to be alone with your father…”

“Elena, alone is the _last_ place I want to be right now,” said Mithian with a sigh, her gaze flickering over to her father before focusing on Elena once again. “If I’m alone, all I can think about is my father, and how I might lose him, and I-” Mithian cut herself off, blinking back tears. She couldn’t think about that right now. She just _couldn’t_. “Keep me company?”

Elena smiled, a smile that sent warmth right through Mithian’s body, right to the tips of her fingers and toes and filled the space in her heart that wasn’t consumed by fear. “Of course I’ll stay,” said Elena. “My shift ended an hour ago, anyway.”

“An hour ago?” Mithian repeated, confused. “Then why are you still here?”

“My father’s out of town, and I didn’t really have anything else to do tonight,” said Elena. “Besides, like I said, I like you. I want to make sure you’re okay.”

Mithian didn’t know what to say to that. She liked Elena too, she really did, and the smile that girl had…

Before Mithian could think about anything else, Elena had pulled a chair up next to her and flopped down into it with a sigh. “God, my legs are killing me…” she groaned. Suddenly realising what she’d said, Elena winced again. “I am _so_ sorry. I really didn’t mean to say that, I-”

“Elena, really, you don’t need to keep apologising,” said Mithian. And, before she could stop herself- “I think it’s cute. The things you say.” Before either one of them could say anything else, Mithian reached into the bag and pulled out one of the pastries, pressing it into Elena’s hands. “Now eat, before I make you.”

Mithian and Elena continued to talk into the night, about the inane and the important. One thing that stuck in Mithian’s mind was not only was Elena’s mother gone, they’d actually never met, rather like Mithian and her own mother.

“I like to think I’m like my mother,” Mithian said in a quiet voice. “Fair, gracious, gentle. Lovely. I mean, I’m not trying to be stuck-up or anything. I just like to _think_ that that’s the way I am. That’s the way I try to be, anyway.”

“That’s how you _are_ ,” Elena insisted. “Most daughters would come sit in here all night with their fathers, especially when they are working to a deadline, like you told me you are. And even if they did, most daughters wouldn’t be so worried. And you haven’t yelled at me once, even when I tripped over when you arrived. Most people would.”

“Yeah, I was wondering about that,” said Mithian. “How does that go with your job? You’ve tripped twice since I arrived.”

“I’m alright when it comes to the medical part of my job,” said Elena. “My mind’s focused. But when my mind is elsewhere, when I’m finished working… that’s when I make a trip to the floor.”

Mithian giggled, but before she could say anything else, there was a groaning sound from the bed. She turned to it instantly, gripping her father’s hand in hers. “Father? Father!”

“Mi… Mithian…” he mumbled.

“Yes, father, I’m here,” Mithian said, squeezing her father’s hand. “I’m right here.” At the sound of Mithian’s voice, her father’s eyes flickered and opened.

Mithian beamed, laughing in absolute delight. "Father! You're okay!" she exclaimed.

"There is no way I could leave you, Mithy..." he said weakly. "What... what happened?"

"You had a heart attack while at work," Mithian explained. "You're in Camelot Memorial Hospital."

"Mr Nemeth," said a familiar voice, and Mithian turned around to see Gwaine entering the room, with Elena right beside him. "It's good to see you awake."

"You're Mithian's friend..." said Mithian's father, Rodor, with a small smile.

"You shouldn't talk right now," said Gwaine. "But yes, that is me. I'm Gwaine." He beckoned Elena over to the machines connected to Rodor, and the two of them examined them. "You're looking good, Mr Nemeth. If this continues, you should make a full recovery."

"Did you hear that, Mithy?" said Rodor, squeezing his daughter's hand with all the strength he could muster. "Your old man is going to be fine."

"Gwaine told you not to talk," Mithian reminded him. "And do you have to call me 'Mithy'? That nickname is so embarrassing."

Rodor chuckled. "I'm your father. It's my job to embarrass you."

"We should leave you two alone," said Gwaine. "Come on, Elena. You have to be back here early tomorrow, anyway."

Elena sighed. "Alright. If you're here tomorrow I'll come visit, Mithian." Elena turned and left the room; once she was gone, Gwaine winked at Mithian before following.

"What was that about?" Rodor asked.

"I have no idea," said Mithian, even though she was pretty sure she did.

 

Mithian visited her father every day over the next week. The second day she had returned to the office to collect her work gratefully, after being told by Morgana that _of course she could complete her work at the hospital, don't be silly, she needed to be with her father._

Of course, especially since she now knew that her father would make a full recovery, there was another reason Mithian spent every day at the hospital. A blonde haired, blue eyes, very clumsy and awkward yet cute reason. Mithian and Elena talked every day, and every day Mithian learnt something new about her- that her biggest passion was horse riding, that she much preferred to spend all her free time outside, and that like Mithian herself she really hoped she was like her mother.

Mithian couldn't help but notice other things about Elena, too. The way her eyes lit up when she talked about her favourite horse to ride. The way she bit her lip when she was afraid she'd said something wrong. Her beautiful smile whenever Mithian talked about her own life. The way that Elena's smile created butterflies in Mithian's stomach.

"So I hear you have a crush on your father's nurse," said Merlin from the doorway.

"What?" Mithian gasped. "No I don't!" She glanced over at her father, but luckily he was asleep and had heard nothing.

"According to Gwaine, you do," said Merlin, moving into the room and giving Mithian a tight hug. "I've missed you. Work isn't the same without you- there's no one to stop Morgana telling me everything that Arthur says to her about me, including the bad things."

"You love it," Mithian laughed. "And what did Gwaine say?"

"That you can't stop talking to Elena or looking at her," said Merlin. "That you smile whenever she walks into a room. That it's really obvious you like her. And Gwaine would know. He was the one that figured out how me and Arthur felt, wasn't he?"

“Yes, I suppose he was,” said Mithian. Merlin _did_ have a point. Mithian was talking to Elena every spare minute the nurse had, and her presence never failed to make Mithian smile. And sometimes when Elena talked, Mithian found herself staring at her lips, wondering what it would be like to kiss them. And then there was that _dream_ she’d had the day before, when she’d fallen asleep beside her father’s bed…

Mithian let out a heavy sigh, resting her head in her hands. “Alright, fine. Maybe I _do_ like Elena. Maybe I do fantasise about her. But that doesn’t mean I should do anything about it.”

“And why not?”

“Because I don’t have _time_ for a relationship, that’s why!” said Mithian. “What if this is just some kind of transference thing, because I met Elena when my father had a heart attack? And what would he think?”

“First of all, you definitely have time for a relationship, Mith,” Merlin pointed out. “If I can date Arthur bloody Pendragon, you can date someone too. Second, if it was a ‘transference thing’, as you put it, I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t be fantasising about going at it with the nurse in the storage room. And third, your father just wants you to be happy. I’m pretty sure Elena would make you very happy.”

“How did _you_ know what I fantasised about?” Mithian gasped, realising too late that she’d just given herself away to Merlin.

Merlin just raised an eyebrow. “What did you think Arthur and I did when he visited me at work and we disappeared for twenty minutes?” he said. “Mith, you need to take a chance on this. Just ask her out. What’s the worst that could happen?”

“She could say no,” Mithian said.

“Then you never have to see her again,” said Merlin. “But you’ll never know until you ask. And besides, if you believe Gwaine, you have absolutely nothing to worry about.”

“Thanks, Merlin,” said Mithian, smiling. “You’re a good friend.”

“I know. I try.”

 

Mithian waited out in the corridor while Gwaine and Elena ran some tests on her father. She knew that they were standard procedure before a patient could be discharged, and she wasn’t really worried about them, but she was wringing her hands anyway. She’d been thinking about what Merlin had said; hell, she hadn’t been able to _stop_ thinking about it.

Finally, Gwaine and Elena emerged from Rodor’s room. Gwaine took one look at Mithian’s nervous expression before winking and striding off down the corridor, leaving Mithian and Elena alone.

“What’s wrong?” Elena asked, placing a hand on Mithian’s shoulder in comfort. “You know your father’s going to be okay, right? His tests came back normal.”

“I know,” Mithian sighed. This was it. It was now or never. _God_ , she had never been so _nervous_ before! That said something, she supposed, about how important this was to her. How much she hoped Gwaine and Merlin were right. “Um, this is actually about you.”

“Me?” Elena said, staring at Mithian. Was Mithian imagining it, or was there a glimmer of hope in the nurse’s eye. “Why me?”

“I was just-” Mithian said, and then cut herself off. “I have never been this nervous before, Elena. I’ve been searching and searching for the right words to say, but all I can think of is the fact that your smile is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, I really, _really_ like you, and the fact that I dreamt about the two of us together in the storage room.”

“I dreamt about that too!” Elena exclaimed, before clamping a hand over her mouth. “Sorry. That was way too loud.”

“It’s fine,” Mithian said. “How about you and I go bring our dreams to life? And then coffee. My shout.”

“I’d like that,” said Elena. “And I _promise_ I won’t trip over anything.”

“I’m not quite sure you’ll manage that,” Mithian teased. “But I won’t mind.” Mithian took Elena’s hand and led her away, thinking that she’d have to thank Merlin later- and he’d never let her hear the end of it.


End file.
